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One of the most prestigious units in Lyran realm, the near-tradition that any future Archon will cut their teeth in a command position within the Tenth ensures entry into the unit is an extremely difficult process, with extensive background checks and profiling of applicants to ensure the future ruler of the Commonwealth was surrounded by its most loyal troops. While the Tenth Lyran has been on the brink of extinction several times during its existence, the unit has been rebuilt bigger and stronger each time, and is usually first in line for the latest and most advanced equipment. [3]

During the Star League era the Tenth Lyran Guards was one of ten regiments within the First Lyran Guards Division, one of five Divisions of active regiments within the Lyran Guards brigade in the closing decades of the Star League's existence. By the mid-twenty-eighth century the First Division was the only Division of the Lyran Guards to be at full strength, and while the Lyran Guards were supposed to be loyal to the Lyran Commonwealth first and the Archon second, the various regiments of the First had been used at various points to keep powerful nobles in line.[1]

Like the other regiments of the Guards during this era, the Tenth lacked any particular political ties - either regional or familial - unlike regiments in other brigades; commonly assigned to garrison postings, the Tenth Lyran Guards and their sister regiments were postings of choice for those who wanted to work for the Commonwealth without either regional loyalties or particular ambitions. This led to the Tenth and her sister regiments being manned by soldiers who were professional, but without the close-knit ties found in more parochial regiments. The Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces was intent on generating more camaraderie and esprit de corps amongst the Tenth and the other Guards regiments, but with little success by 2765.[1]

In 2765 the Tenth was one of the more experienced regiments within the Lyran Guards, and was stationed on the Lyran capital, Tharkad.[1]

The Tenth was secretly dispatched on a raid against the recently-captured world of Dromini VI.[7] There they struck the Kurita task force's store houses in the city of Kanashimi. The Tenth's elements fought twice their numbers to reach their targets, taking severe damage. The unit's commander, Duke Frederick Steiner, surrendered himself in order to have his men safely returned to their JumpShip. LIC agents secretly planted on the Tenth's JumpShip however, disabled a majority of the Kurita task force's JumpShip fleet saving the Commonwealth from being invaded.[8]

Virtually destroyed on Dromini VI, Katrina Steiner honored the unit's sacrifice during the Fourth war and its storied pedigree by quickly rebuilding it into one of the finest Davion-style Regimental Combat Teams in the LCAF. [2][3]

Stationed on its homeworld of Meachem in 3038, while the rebuilt and veteran rated Tenth Lyran Guards RCT did not take part in the War of 3039, it was transferred to the border world of Alkalurops to reinforce the Skye March in its aftermath. [9]

During the Year of Peace, a determined Victor rebuilt the Tenth into the premier anti-Clan unit in the Inner Sphere and they would continue to fight at the forefront of the FedCom's efforts against the invaders.[3] In 3051, they fought alongside Victor again on Alyina[12], again against the Falcons. ComStar had leaked to the Clans that Victor and the Tenth were on Alyina, and they attempted to trap him there, eager to deprive the Federated Commonwealth of its heir. Shortly after Victor would lead elements of the Tenth to rescue Hohiro Kurita trapped by the Clans on Teniente.[13]

As of the start of the FedCom Civil War in 3062, the Tenth still remained stranded on Robinson as payback for their continued loyalty to Victor. Duke James Sandoval, ruler of the Draconis March, also refused to assign any JumpShips to the Tenth since they intended to join Prince Victor and thereby leave Robinson undefended. Sandoval also needed the JumpShips for his own private war against his family's longtime enemy, the Draconis Combine.[20][21]

By January of 3065, MarshalJames McFarland, the commanding officer of the Tenth, had managed to commandeer enough JumpShips to enable his RCT to leave Robinson in order to assist Prince Victor, who was fighting the Loyalist forces on Tikonov. Two jumps away from Robinson, the Tenth's JumpShips were disabled due to sabotage by DMI agents, ending up at a jump point in the Kentares system.[20]

McFarland quickly discovered that Kentares IV was under siege by the 3rd Benjamin Regulars of the Combine's DCMS. The Third had been sent to capture Kentares as part of the DCMS Reprisal, the counterattack in retaliation for Sandoval's unauthorized invasion of the Combine. Since Duke Ian Dresari, a fellow supporter of Prince Victor, and his Kentares DMM were clearly outnumbered and outgunned by the Third, and since it would take weeks to repair the Tenth's ships, McFarland ordered his RCT to assist Dresari and his DMM in fighting the Combine invaders.[20]

As soon as the Guards landed on Kentares, the Regulars knew they were doomed, since the Tenth Lyran Guards were considered one of the Lyran Alliance's most elite RCTs. The Third decided to face certain defeat in the spirit of Bushido, managing to hold off the Tenth for a week after they engaged the Third. In the final battle between the Allied Tenth/DMM force and the Combine forces, Leftenant GeneralReinhardt Steiner, commander of the Tenth's BattleMech Regiment, fighting side-by-side with Duke Ian, defeated the Third Benjamin Regulars in a mere four hours. The surviving Regulars were incarcerated in a Kentares prison, where they were treated honorably until the end of the Civil War, when the Third's soldiers were repatriated to the Combine.[20]

Prince Victor had two infantry regiments from the Tenth remain behind along with members of House Dai Da Chi (who offered their service to Victor), to protect the world from further Loyalist attacks. As soon as Victor and his Allied task force left Tikonov, the personnel from House Dai Da Chi helped the Free Tikonov Movement attack the Tenth's infantry and forced them out of Tikograd. By late March of 3067, Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao of the Capellan Confederation declared Tikonov to be a protectorate of the Confederation.[23]

On November 8, 3066, the Tenth was part of Prince Victor's Allied force that landed on New Avalon to unseat Archon Katherine from the throne. On April 20, 3067, Katherine surrendered to Victor. The battle for New Avalon and the FedCom Civil War were finally over.[24]

Despite being reduced to 35% of their effective combat strength[25], the Tenth refused to stand down. Instead they pledged to support Yvonne Steiner-Davion.[26]

In December 3067, the Word of Blake launched its Jihad on the Inner Sphere. While WarShips bombarded New Avalon, the 31st Division landed on-planet and advanced on Avalon City. The Tenth Lyran Guards were the first unit to oppose the Blakists, engaging them at McCarel Farm. Despite still being seriously under-strength, the Tenth managed to inflict significant damage on the Thirty-first before they were forced to pull back. They bought the defenders enough time to regroup and hold the capital city against the invaders. [28][29]

Unfortunately, casualties to the Tenth were too heavy to make them an effective independent fighting force, and by February 3068 they were merged into the 1st Davion Guards. [27]